Why New Hampshire Needs More Startup Evangelists
March 9, 2010
Most entrepreneurs or venture capitalists are evangelist’s for their own company, or even to a larger degree their industry. However, there is a middle ground that is filled by the likes of media companies or individuals that the New Hampshire startup scene is lacking.
We need more startup evangelists. People like Scott Kirsner who writes Innovation Economy for the Boston Globe and covers many startups around the greater Boston area.
I’m sure the question coming from the readers of this blog will ask, “umm… isn’t that what your doing? Or at least trying to do?” Well… kinda. Let me explain.
I’m passionate about startups, and entrepreneurship. Especially those in the New England and New Hampshire area. To add to that I believe I’m trying to partially fulfill that as an evangelist for the area, but it needs to be a mentality among companies, venture capital, angel investors, and the entire community around startups here in New Hampshire.
So — who is going to step up?
Note: I wanted to add this to the end of this post, I certainly don’t want to make this blog about me. But I do want to try and add some personality - otherwise it would simply be a factorial website. But I want your feedback, let me know what you think in the comments.
Steal This Idea: Human Resources SaaS
March 5, 2010
I had an idea for a column on the blog, Steal This Idea, where I will provide an idea and anyone reading this is welcome to steal it. To clarify, I’m going to be providing ideas that I have thought of and for one reason or another decided not to pursue further. I don’t feel the need to write an explanation post for each idea and why I did not pursue it. Suffice to say that while I think many of the ideas that will be presented are quality ideas (and some may not be!) I just don’t have a passion for the space they are in. For me in discovering what I want in life and in my pursuit of “starting up”, I’ve discovered that passion is extremely important. So, with that said… if you have a passion for one of these ideas that come up as a result of this, steal it!
Let’s face it — the application process is broken. Paper resumes are outdated, take too long to sort through, and make a lot of clutter. In fact, the new resume is not so much a collection of where you have worked and your title but your experiences and presence online. The idea then is actually two-fold.
1. While I think the ‘new’ resume will certainly replace the old within the next few years, the previous iteration does still provide market opportunity for entrepreneurs and the right type of company.
2. The new resume will simply be an aggregation tool inside of HR departments that pull-in all your online presence. Everything from your personal website, blog, any comments you post on Facebook, or videos on YouTube.
Thus, if someone could be an application similar to the twitter listening tools that aggregates content and pulls it into one stream. After doing so the application allows threaded comments (similar to a Facebook style comment system) from internal resources. So for instance, an HR manager and hiring manager can comment on the “resume” / application and decide to bring the person in for an interview. The application would need to have export abilities into HRM and payroll applications for managing employees once they are hired.
In addition, not every applicant is the right fit for the jobs they apply to. If I was an HR manager and had a person apply to a job that they were not the right fit for, but had friends who were also in the field that I thought the person would be a good fit for… I would gladly pass them along. Thus, establish a “bank” of applicants into the application that HR managers can share between each other.
If someone does seriously want to pursue this idea, please contact me. When going through this idea I prepared some market research that I would be happy to share to the right person.
I want this to be interactive with the readers of this blog, if you dislike this column… tell me. If you love it… tell me. Or if you have any ideas that you would not mind being ’stolen’ post them in the comments or email me.
Events in New Hampshire (3/15 - 3/19)
March 8, 2010 - Seacoast Linux User Group
Time: 7:00 - 9:00PM
Location: UNH Durham, Morse Hall room 301
Fee: Free
March 10, 2010 - MYPN Social Event
Time: 5:30 - 7:30PM
Location: Z food & drink, 860 Elm Street, Manchester NH (Google Maps)
Fee: Free
Register: http://mypn.org/events/
March 12, 2010 - NH SkiUp (#NHSkiUp)
Time: 8:00AM - 5:00PM
Location: Mount Sunapee
Fee: $39 for skiers / snowboarders. Free for observers.
Register: http://nhskiup1.eventbrite.com/
March 17, 2010 - Bank of America Breakfast Speaker Series; featuring Mark Huddleston President of The University of New Hampshire.
Time: 7:30 - 9AM
Location: Sheraton Harborside Hotel, 250 Market Street Portsmouth NH (Google Maps)
Fee: $20 online, $25 at the door
Register: http://www.portsmouthchamber.org/breakfast.cfm
If we missed anything, let us know!
Governor Lynch is Greening the Granite State with New Energy Bill
March 2, 2010
Note: This is a guest post by Michael Turcotte, Owner of New Hampshire based Turn Cycle Solutions.
The turn of a new decade has launched New Hampshire’s Governor Lynch into a “new movement,” a movement that will set the bar high enough for New Hampshire to see a push for energy independence. This bill sets a standard for New Hampshire of 25% energy reduction by 2025; also known as the 25 x 25′ bill. In March of 09, Gov. Lynch put New Hampshire in the drivers seat to reduce oil dependency and increase job creation. Some have said this bill is a stretch for New Hampshire’s energy intent but professional groups like the Residential Energy Performance Association (REPA) and New Hampshire Sustainable Energy Association (NHSEA) have been striving for the same prospective goal as the Governor and all parties feel the goal is very attainable.
As New Hampshire gears up for the years to come here is some food for thought: The 25% reduction will be prided on renewable energies. i.e. Hydro, Wind, Bio-fuel, Bio-mass and Solar, all of which New Hampshire hosts already. The motivation is to ramp up the supply of these resources while educating the citizens of the Granite state on energy conservation. Outlined in the bill there has been process put in place for school curriculum to include energy reduction education. Originated on sustainability this bill focuses on: Lowering and/or stabilizing the rising electric costs and job creation.
The layout of these proposed benefits from renewable energies will force oil, natural gas and coal to remain competitive in relation to supply price. While, Governor Lynch has implemented such programs as the Green Launching Pad to help ensure there are added jobs in a robust new industry, which will also maintain stability in a troubling economy. These “Energy Foot Soldiers” will spread throughout more industries than meets the eye; heating and cooling companies, electricians, contractors, weatherization companies, insulation companies and even more so energy auditors and renewable energy installers. In a report given by the “U.S. Clean Energy Economy” just two years ago, New Hampshire measured up with: 465 clean energy businesses that employed 4,029 with $6,697 in venture capital funding. Making the assumption that we meet the criteria set before us, those numbers will be a mere piece of history.
When this bill was introduced, the State of New Hampshire specifically spoke about allotting funds for a bio-mass power plant and further discussed the proper harvesting of wind power in the Northern and Eastern parts of the state. All of these intended projects will relate in dollars and “sense” for job creation, these are real jobs that New Hampshire residents will be filling, and outsourcing is out of the question. The 25 x 25′ reductions will help New Hampshire in growing companies like:Alternative Energy Installer, Freedom Renewables of Derry and Weatherization Specialist, Dignan Construction LLC of Nashua and Energy Improvements Inc, of Concord. These companies have grown green related jobs that intern will reduce our energy consumption. But as an owner of a start up “energy reduction firm” myself, I can say it will be programs like The Green Launching Pad, UNH’s program that incentives green job creation in New Hampshire, that gives hopeful start ups and small business owners like myself, a chance to get a jump start on a hopeful future. Considering the bill intends to attach itself to reducing home retrofit projects to be 60% more efficient, while businesses will be held to 50% efficiency.
In closing, I hope New Hampshire citizens find value in this bill and get involved. One less shower, one degree less on the thermostat, one less hour of TV, will yield extremely beneficial results.
*If you have questions on how you can get in touch with any of the organizations or companies featured in this article please feel free to email directly at michaeljturcotte@turncyclesolutions.com
Written By:
Michael Turcotte
Owner of Turn Cycle Solutions
Voted 2009 Start up Nations Greenest Home Based Business
Website: www.Turncyclesolutions.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/turncycle
And look for Owner Mike Turcotte competing on Top Entrepreneur Tv this April!
Turn Cycle Solutions is an Eco Consultant Firm specializing in creating New Wealth for consumers through energy efficiency consulting. Turn Cycle is driven on the highest quality of customer service service and health and financial wellness. Our services grow a facility’s efficiency processes, while presenting innovative ways to conserve electricity, gas, oil, hauling and water consumption, all the while educating our clientele to further their success to effectively lower their bottom line.
Profile of: Dyn Inc.
February 24, 2010
I got the chance to speak with Jeremy Hitchcock , CEO of Dyn Inc. on Friday about how Dyn Inc. was started and became the leader in their field today. Like many founders, Jeremy is passionate about this space and it really shone through in my chat with him.
Before getting into what Jeremy and I covered, let me just say that I have a passion for entrepreneurship and startups. After all, it’s one of the key reasons I became involved with this blog. It’s not often today that you come across a innovative company, such as Dyn Inc., that has been bootstrapped (more on that below). This should command a lot of respect from entrepreneurs, and I know it does from myself.
Dyn Inc. foundation goes back to 1998 when they had 50 users and…
Dyn Inc. started as a free service, based out of a college apartment. A couple guys with a big idea. That service, then operating as DynDNS.org, was a dynamic DNS service for a home user to host a website on their home computer or remote access back to their PC. Over time, as the user base grew and became more demanding, Dyn Inc. turned to a donation-based service in an effort to stay afloat and add complimentary services. Later, Dyn Inc. transitioned to a recurring revenue software-as-a-service (SaaS) model with a suite of IT services aimed at the home/SMB market.
From Dyn Inc. beginning, the company was effectively “bootstrapped” from user donations, building their business on sales and continued support from the community. In July 2003 Dyn incorporated and continues, to this day, to be an employee owned business.
Today – Dyn Inc. works with impressive companies such as; Twitter, Meetup, Zappos, CNBC, Warner Brothers Records, SquareSpace, 37Signals, and many more.
Jeremy continues to inspire, and interact with New Hampshire entrepreneurs and serves on the board of directors for Manchester Young Professionals Network (MYPN). He is a fantastic role model for what young entrepreneurs should look to in New Hampshire, and we wish Dyn Inc. and Jeremy continued success in 2010 and beyond!
Bootstrapped companies, in my opinion, really appreciate what it takes to drive their business. By not accepting money from venture capitalists, or Angel investors you are forced to focus on driving operations from sales and any user donations. Dyn Inc. is among top esteemed companies like 37Signals that have been raised using this method. We, as entrepreneurs, or even just New Hampshire residents, should respect the passion, drive, innovation it takes to do something such as this.
Please post any questions in the comments.
National Entrepreneurship Week Celebration - Thursday!
February 22, 2010
In celebration of National Entrepreneurship Week Dyn Inc. is putting together a celebration at Mint Bistro in Manchester, NH.
New Hampshire Startups and businesses are welcome to attend, just please leave a comment below so we can have a general idea of the number.
Please join us for drinks, good conversation and an all-around good time!
Details:
Location: Mint Bistro - 1105 Elm Street, Manchester NH 03101 (Google Maps)
Time: 6PM
Website: http://mintbistronh.com/
A Scorecard for New Hampshire Companies
This post is largely based on Bill Warner’s post “It’s About Leadership: A Proposed Scorecard for Massachusetts Technology Companies”
I don’t think Bill meant that this scorecard system could only apply to Massachusetts, but I think we can transplant it perfectly in New Hampshire.
Bill’s scorecard consists of…
Single
Any growing company that is selling a successful product.
Double
Any growing company with sales over $10M.
Triple
Any growing company with sales over $100M.
Home Run
>1B market cap
Grand Slam
>10B market cap
For the purpose of this blog post; I’m mainly interested in Single and through Home Run (frankly, I think we all already know of any companies this large - or at Grand Slam size)
So my question is two-fold, do you agree with the scorecard? and what score would you give any New Hampshire based companies that you know of?
- Jeffrey Vocell
Profile Of: RipGuardian.com
February 19, 2010
RipGuardian, LLC is a New Hampshire based company focusing on solving the problem of skin ripping for gymnasts. The two co-founders are both also in New Hampshire, one in Nashua and the other in Hampton respectively.
Shawn, one of the co-founders of RipGuardian explained to me what a “rip” in gymnastics was:
Whether it’s uneven bars or pommmel horse, Parallel bars or rings, a serious gymnast is going to experience rips. Friction resulting from intense workouts create a buildup of skin that eventually tears from the hand. And it hurts!
RipGuardian’s product will allow gymnasts to compete while protecting their skin. The solution was described as:
The product is a first of its kind “rip protection patch. RipGuardian provides a “movable surface” between leather grip and skin that provides comfort from the rip.
Thus far, the two co-founders have bootstrapped the startup and feel that they can do so until profitability. RipGuardian will be first to market with an item like this in the United States, and pending on the success of this item plans on expanding into other sports.
You can check out RipGuardian for yourself at their website: www.RipGuardian.com.
We will check back in with them in a couple months to see how they are progressing, good luck guys!
If you have any questions for them, feel free to write them in the comments.
- Jeffrey Vocell
Events in New Hampshire (2/15 - 3/1)
February 15, 2010
February 17, 2010 - Bank of America Breakfast Speaker Series; featuring Gary Long President of PSNH.
Time: 7:30 - 9AM
Location: Sheraton Harborside Hotel, 250 Market Street Portsmouth NH (Google Maps)
Fee: $20 online, $25 at the door
Register: http://www.portsmouthchamber.org/breakfast.cfm
February 18, 2010 - Business After Hours
Time: 5 - 7PM
Location: Cummings, Lamont & McNamee - 1 New Hampshire Ave., Ste. 305 in Portsmouth, NH (Google Maps)
Fee: a business card!
February 18, 2010 - RetroTechUp
Time: 6 - 9:30PM
Location: 35 Corporate Drive Newington, NH (Google Maps)
Fee: Free!
Registration: http://retrotech.eventbrite.com/
February 19, 2010 - Social Media Breakfast #9
Time: 8:30 - 10:30AM
Location: New Heights - Adventures for Teens - 100 Campus Drive Gymnasium (Park by Basketball Court in Lot)
Portsmouth NH (Google Maps)
Fee: Free!
Registration: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/565281773/
February 25, 2010 - Nashua Tweetup
Time: 7 - 9:30PM
Location: 55 Northeastern Boulevard Nashua, NH (Google Maps)
Fee: Free!
Registration: http://febnashuatweetup.eventbrite.com/
Note: the deadline to apply for the Kocher Scholarship is 2/28 and is aimed at students seeking an associates or bachelors degree. For more information or to get the application check here: https://www.nhhtc.org/index.php?option=com_eventscheduling&task=Details&id=34
If there are any that we missed, please let us know!
- Jeffrey Vocell
How to: Research Your Business Idea
February 11, 2010
A business idea is the spark that starts the fire. It’s your starting point of all that is to come. How we all come up with these ideas is generally unique, but some of the best that I’ve seen is a personal ‘pain point’ the founder has experienced or seen.
So — you have already come up with your idea and now you need to do some research to find out if it’s feasible. Entrepreneur.com has a great post on how to do so that I will reference, and try to add to.
The basic analysis begins with four key points:
1. Company. Think of your idea in terms of its product/service features, the benefits to customers, the personality of your company, what key messages you’ll be relaying and the core promises you’ll be making to customers.
2. Customer. There are three different customers you’ll need to think about in relation to your idea: purchasers (those who make the decision or write the check), influencers (the individual, organization or group of people who influence the purchasing decision), and the end users (the person or group of people who will directly interact with your product or service).
3. Competitor. Again, there are three different groups you’ll need to keep in mind: primary, secondary and tertiary. Their placement within each level is based on how often your business would compete with them and how you would tailor your messages when competing with each of these groups.
4. Collaborators. Think of organizations and people who may have an interest in your success but aren’t directly paid or rewarded for any success your business might realize, such as associations, the media and other organizations that sell to your customers.
This is a great list, but it does not really cover the how piece of the equation.
My list of how, consists of:
- Search - Search out your competitors and your market. Search for any strengths, weaknesses, critical features, customer complaints, basically - anything you can find that will help give you a competitive advantage.
- Evaluate - Sign up for your competitors services! Usually a basic level plan is free and you will be able to get a good feel for their core set of features. This is crucial in seeing where their strengths and weaknesses lye, and how you can compare your idea to their product and differentiate the two.
- Reach Out - Reach out to your potential customers and source your idea. Crowd sourcing can be the difference between building a mature product that directly meets customer needs and something in infancy that requires a lot of iteration to get there. If you use social networking sites, send out messages on Twitter, Facebook, and use the Answers feature in LinkedIn to search and/or post a question. If not, you can hire a company to conduct focus groups which can be lucrative, but it can also be expensive.
- Reach Out, part II - Reach out to your competitors customers (usually you can find at least a few from any of the aforementioned websites) to see what they like / dislike in the current solution. This will possibly give you strategic direction in what features to add to your product from the start.
What would you add to this?
Look forward to your comments!
- Jeffrey Vocell
